Dispensing closures



Jan. 19, 1960 R. H. WHITNEY DISPENSING CLOSURES Filed July 23, 1958 INVENTOR LPHZi Vim/V13? ATTORNE United States Patent DISPENSING CLOSURES Ralph H. Whitney, Toledo, Ohio, assignor to 0wens- Illinois Glass Company, a corporation of Ohio Application July 23, 1958, Serial No. 750,409

1 Claim. (Cl. 222-562) My invention relates to dispensing closures for bottles, jars and the like receptacles and more particularly is concerned with the provision of simple and effective .means comprising an element of a shaker-type dispenser for breaking up caked products into small particles or granules capable of being discharged through the dispensing openings or apertures.

Many commodities are packed in containers provided with shaker-type dispensers and certain of them, grated cheese for example, tend to cake or form relatively large chunks or lumps which must be broken up before they can flow through the openings in the conventional dis pensing fitments.

An object of my invention is the provision of a perforate shaker-type dispenser having associated therewith, preferably as an integral part, a finger or fingers with which the lumps or chunks are more or less violently brought into contact incident to shaking the container in the customary fashion. Thus, these lumps or chunks become disintegrated.

A further object of my invention is the provision of a shaker-type dispenser of the above character in which the chunk or lump-breaking means comprises a pair of fingers or prongs arranged in side-by-side relationship and formed integrally with and depending from the perforate disk portion of the dispenser or fitment.

It is also an object of my invention to mold as a single one-piece unit a shaker-type dispenser of the above character formed of polyethylene or some material having like characteristics and including curved fingers or prongs in proximity to and generally centrally of the inner surface of the perforate disk portion.

Other objects will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view, partially in section, showing a shaker-type dispenser incorporating my invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view of the dispenser taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2 with the dispenser attached to the neck of a receptacle.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing another specific embodiment of my invention.

In Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings, my invention is illustrated as an integral part of a molded polyethylene closure designed for partial insertion into the mouth 11 of a receptacle 12. The closure may comprise a disk portion 13 of such diameter that its margin will slightly overlap and contact the rim end of the receptacle mouth. Perforations or openings 14 in this disk provide means through which a granular or shredded commodity may be dispensed merely by inverting and shaking the receptacle. The dispenser is removably secured in place by an attaching skirt 15 or flange of annular form which is molded as an integral part of the top 13. This skirt has snug frictional contact with the inside wall of the receptacle mouth and may also include a rib 16 at its free end designed to take over an abutment 17 at the inner end of the mouth opening.

For the purpose of breaking up or disintegrating caked portions of the packaged product so that the latter may freely flow through the openings 14, fingers or prongs 18 are provided on the inner side of the top 13. Although a larger number may be employed, as desired, I have shown two such fingers 18 which are molded integrally with the disk portion 13. These fingers, in the form illustrated, are arranged side by side with their base ends joining the closure top 13 along a common diametrical line, such fingers being curved in opposite directions away from said line to their free edges or ends. These fingers diminish in thickness toward their free end to facilitate removal from the mold (not shown). Because of the inherent flexibility and resilience of polyethylene, these fingers are initially molded in their final curved form. They flex quite readily in stripping the article from the mold but return immediately to the curved shape shown.

In Fig. 4, I have shown fingers, or prongs 18 formed integrally with the perforated closure top 13'- but in this form the closure is secured to the receptacle 12 by means of a beaded skirt .15 which snaps over an external annular abutment 19 on the neck 20 of the receptacle. A cover cap 21 may be threaded over the shaker fitment as shown.

Further modifications may be resorted to within the spirit and scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

In combination, a receptacle having a mouth, a dispensing shaker-type closure for said mouth formed in its entirety of polyethylene, said closure being a flat perforate disk, means for separably holding the disk in position to span the mouth, and a pair of fingers depending from the disk into the mouth, said fingers comprising broad flat elements each having two edges and two ends with upper ends integrally joined to the disk along a common diametrical line in the plane of the disk and disposed with the right edge of one finger in edge-toedge relationship with the left edge of the other finger, the fingers extending from the disk into the mouth with the flat portions of the fingers curved downwardly in opposite directions away from each other.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 875,531 Kampfe Dec. 31, 1907 1,014,413 Peri Jan. 9, 1912 2,173,542 Simington Sept. 19, 1939 2,545,240 Patoe Mar. 31, 1951 

